Projects - Middle East
Shrinking Civic Spaces for Palestine/Israel Discourse
Projects - Middle East
Shrinking Civic Spaces for Palestine/Israel Discourse
About the Project

This two-year project examines the increasing restrictions placed on Palestinian and Israeli civil society and how the failure to reach a comprehensive Palestinian-Israeli peace impacts communities and civil rights in the United States.

Programs

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington  combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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Video

Short Documentaries

Video

Short Documentaries

video
Access Restricted: No Holiday In Jerusalem

In this documentary filmed during the Ramadan and the Easter holidays, two residents of Bethlehem, a Muslim observing Ramadan and an Orthodox Christian priest, talk about how they navigate travel to holy sites through obstacles and checkpoints.

A Palestinian medic cares for premature babies, evacuated from Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital, ahead of their transfer from a hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to Egypt, on November 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
commentary
The High Costs of Displacement: Difficult Childbirth in Gaza

As often occurs in conflict zones, Palestinian women and children have paid the highest price of Israel’s military assault in Gaza.

  • Mehran Issa
video
Documenting Loss: Palestinian Journalists in Gaza Tell Their Stories

With foreign media barred from entering Gaza, the only working journalists inside the enclave are Palestinians who face the same challenges and dangers as the civilians they report on, including famine, displacement, and the loss of family and friends. This documentary tells the stories of three of these journalists.

commentary
Education Under Occupation: The Story of a Masafer Yatta Schoolgirl

Israeli practices in the West Bank have threatened Palestinian schools, but students are determined to learn.

  • Ghousoon Bisharat

All work from Shrinking Civic Spaces for Palestine/Israel Discourse

11 Results
video
Access Restricted: No Holiday In Jerusalem

In this documentary filmed during the Ramadan and the Easter holidays, two residents of Bethlehem, a Muslim observing Ramadan and an Orthodox Christian priest, talk about how they navigate travel to holy sites through obstacles and checkpoints.

· June 20, 2024
A Palestinian medic cares for premature babies, evacuated from Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital, ahead of their transfer from a hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to Egypt, on November 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
commentary
The High Costs of Displacement: Difficult Childbirth in Gaza

As often occurs in conflict zones, Palestinian women and children have paid the highest price of Israel’s military assault in Gaza.

  • Mehran Issa
· May 14, 2024
video
Documenting Loss: Palestinian Journalists in Gaza Tell Their Stories

With foreign media barred from entering Gaza, the only working journalists inside the enclave are Palestinians who face the same challenges and dangers as the civilians they report on, including famine, displacement, and the loss of family and friends. This documentary tells the stories of three of these journalists.

· May 3, 2024
Q&A
The Many Civil and Human Rights Challenges Facing Israel’s Palestinian Citizens

PCIs, who are among Israel’s most marginalized minorities, have experienced even more violence and racism after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

· February 28, 2024
commentary
Why the United States Can’t Ignore the ICJ Case Against Israel

Too much is at stake: too many Palestinian and Israeli lives, too much U.S. credibility, and too high the risk of regional conflagration.

· January 18, 2024
event
Navigating Discourses on Israel and Palestine: Civic Space, Expression, and Dialogue in Challenging Times
November 30, 2023

Join the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace for a conversation about the limits of free speech in times of conflict.

  • +2
event
Looking Back in Order to Find A Way Forward: Expert Views on Israel and the Occupied Territories
October 31, 2023

Another escalation between Hamas and Israel has left a staggering number of Israelis and Palestinians dead. Conditions deteriorate, violence escalates in the occupied West Bank, and protests erupt across the Middle East and the world. Join us online to discuss the unfolding situation.

  • +3
In The Media
in the media
Don’t Let Politicians Normalize the Dehumanization of Palestinians

In the midst of conflict, analysts and policymakers should always be aware that words have meaning, and impact on real life events. At home in America, as well as within Israel/Palestine, we have seen how that happens, with disastrous effect.

· October 16, 2023
The Daily Beast
commentary
Is Civic Space Shrinking Over Israel and Palestine?

While a negotiated political solution between Israelis and Palestinians is not on the horizon, policymakers must work to ensure that civic spaces in the region and in the United States are free and open so that people with a range of interests can be heard.

· June 21, 2023